How do government vouchers for private schools work?

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School vouchers use tax money that normally goes to public schools and instead provides vouchers for students to use to pay for private schooling. These programs are generally geared to low-income students, as their families are less likely to have the financial ability to pay for their children's private education. This program also shrinks the gap between poor and financially successful families.

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Parents who have children underperforming in public schools but who aren't financially able to send their children anywhere else can sign up for these programs. The state sets the guidelines, but many families can receive vouchers to pay for private schooling. This allows students to get a quality education at a school they otherwise could not afford.

School voucher programs have been consistently controversial in the United States. Opponents of such programs claim that using school vouchers takes the best students away from the poor schools as well as the funding. They argue that those that remain in public schools are harmed because there are fewer resources. People in Nevada have taken their opposition as far as filing lawsuits, claiming it's illegal to use public money to fund private education. There are also church-state concerns about using public money to fund vouchers for parochial schools.